Phew. It's been a whirlwind around my house the last several days, between having company and Christmas and all of that fun stuff. Don't get me wrong, it was a good whirlwind, but phew! A part of me is glad that it's time to get back to normal. Christmas at my house was a lot of fun, for everyone in the family. My munchkin is in love with a Saxoflute my mother got for him, my mother adores the purse I made for her, and I am in love with my new baby, Betsy 2.0...and my husband? Well, it's a longer story...

So...my Urban Lattice quilt, for those of you who weren't in on it, was actually for my husband, not a gift my brother!

I was feverishly working to finish it before he returned home from a marathon business trip, which fortunately was extended a week at the last minute, granting me a reprieve from an all-nighter. This quilt was a challenge in a lot of ways and I learned a lot.

I learned that paper is not something to be afraid of, and to really be precise when using paper - that's what it's there for! I learned that outline or echo quilting is - make that was - terribly frustrating on my sewing machine. I still can't believe my husband got me a beautiful Husqvarna Sapphire for Christmas. Outline quilting should be a lot easier on this machine, since the throat size is double what I used to have. I can't wait to find out!

I also remembered how much fun it is to surprise someone. I can remember as a kid, helping my mother surprise my dad with gifts at the holidays. One year, in particular, she wrapped up and put under the tree nothing but black socks, because that's all he asked for. When he was done, we all had a laugh about it, and brought out another gift, which I seem to recall was a popcorn popper, which he absolutely loved. I thought about doing the same this year, since all my husband asked for was black socks and shave soap, but decided against it. I did make him open this last, though.

I also worked on my hand sewing, and I hand sewed the binding onto the back of the quilt. It was maddening at times, but I finally perfected a knotless start, which was a big bonus. I'm getting better at this, but it really requires good television and/or good music. Thank goodness my public library carries Project Runway!

And for the record, my husband said a few times, while reading my blog from afar, how much he liked this quilt, so it was a tough secret to keep, but I'm glad I did. His face, when he opened the box, was just priceless. This was definitely the best Christmas gift I gave this year, and it's already been quite well loved. I think the dog thinks I made it for him...

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